The Arts: Something For Everyone

Think you have to go to a large coastal city to find amazing arts and culture? Think again.

Springfield has an incredibly rich arts and culture scene, complete with art galleries and collectives, theater, comedy and music.

You can also catch Broadway shows, top-notch ballet performances and symphony orchestra concerts.

In fact, Springfield was chosen in the #27 spot in an ApartmentGuide.com’s 2019 article compiling the top 50 cities for art lovers.

As the article asks, “ Any list can put NYC at the top, but what are the best cities for art lovers per capita?”

The author explored oft-underrated and underappreciated art cities in America based on the ratio of art galleries and dealers, art museums, artist supply stores, cultural art organizations and more, in relation to population. Springfield shows one art business per 4,102 residents.

So, where can you find the arts in Sangamon County?

Performing Arts

 University of Illinois Springfield's Performing Arts Center 

A valuable arts resource of UIS, the Performing Arts Center serves as the performance home for the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Springfield Ballet Company, and the UIS Theatre and Music programs.

Originally known as Sangamon Auditorium, it opened its doors in 1981 as the result of a community effort to establish a performing arts facility in the Illinois state capital city.

Throughout its history, audiences have experienced a broad spectrum of the highest quality of music, theater and dance.

The UIS PAC is the only venue of this kind and size in Sangamon County, drawing audiences from a 14-county semi-rural region. The auditorium receives 75,000 attendees at 150 events annually.

  Hoogland Center for the Arts

The Hoogland Center for the Arts boasts an 80,000-square-foot facility that houses three major performance spaces.

Many local organizations present plays, musicals, dance recitals, concerts and events in the LRS Theatre, located on Hoogland’s first floor. This theater can accommodate larger-scale performances with an audience seating capacity of 455. Two smaller theaters often play host to small theatrical and musical performances.

  The Legacy Theatre

The Legacy Theatre is the oldest theatre in Springfield but it's also the newest. Built in 1951 as the home of the Springfield Theatre Guild, the theatre was abandoned in 2004 due to required costly renovations and repairs. But the theatre was rescued by a volunteer organization in 2011 and renamed the Legacy Theatre. It's known for its lavish productions of Broadway musicals and unique presentations of films, concerts and comedy.

  Springfield Theater Center

STC strives to bring together the community and the performing arts. The Center provides Central Illinois with quality theatre, educational opportunities, and a creative outlet for live theatrical arts.

Springfield Theater Center’s White Rabbit Family series, PAVE arts summer camps and its affiliation with the Active & Creative Teen Theatre also offer local youth an opportunity to learn the skills necessary to build confidence in all aspects of performance and theatre.

  The Springfield Muni

The Springfield Municipal Opera is known regionally as “The Muni.” In 1950, the Springfield Municipal Opera Association transformed a 55-acre wheat field near Lake Springfield into an outdoor amphitheater.

More than one million visitors later, the Muni continues to produce four shows each summer season. The Muni has become one of the largest community theaters in the Midwest, and it is believed to be the largest organization of its type in the country that is completely self-supporting.

  Springfield Area Arts Council

The Springfield Area Arts Council is a nonprofit established in 1976 with the mission to enrich the community by providing creative opportunities to participate in and enjoy the arts. Now housed in the lower level of the Hoogland Center for the Arts, the organization supports art and cultural initiatives in Springfield and surrounding communities — from the Artist on the Plaza musical performances to the weekly jazz and blues performance series called Uptown Friday Night.

  Illinois Symphony Orchestra

The Illinois Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1993 and its commitment to the community is highlighted through its engaging Concerts for Kids, free Around the Town Chamber Music Series and the award-winning Music Matters! in-school program for students in Kindergarten – 6th grade.

  Springfield Ballet Company

The Springfield Ballet Company (SBC) was created in 1975 and consists of 29 Company
dancers, 26 trainees, and a community-based volunteer 21-member Board of Directors. The Company’s diversity is evident in its repertory programs, which feature classical ballet, contemporary ballet, jazz, modern, tap, theatre, and character, with three major and several minor performances each season.

  Springfield Municipal Band

The Springfield Municipal Band has been providing free music in the parks for residents and visitors since 1936. The free outdoor concerts are held in rotation at Douglas Park, Southwind Park, in addition to performances at various events and festivals across the community.

  Springfield Youth Performance Group

The Springfield Youth Performance Group (SYPG) is an organization spotlighting young talent from the Springfield area and bringing beloved children’s literature to life.

  Springfield Youth Symphony

Sponsored by the Springfield Public Schools, the Springfield Youth Symphony consists of 65 of the area’s finest young musicians.

Visual Arts

The Springfield Art Association hosts two art galleries, an art school, a Lincoln-era history house museum (the Edwards Place), and a calendar full of events for both individuals and families.

SAA’s two art galleries are open to the public free of charge. The M.G. Nelson Family Gallery hosts monthly exhibits featuring local, regional and international artists. Popular, unique exhibits in recent seasons have included What Art Feels Like - an exhibition designed for the visually impaired - and a citywide amateur competition called On My Own Time.

For top art talent in central Illinois, head to the SAA Collective located at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, which showcases the work of more than 80 member artists in all media, from painting to photography to jewelry.

The Pharmacy Gallery & Art Space cultivates and celebrates expressions of multidimensional artists. Located on Adams St. in Springfield, the organization strives to be a catalyst and forum for advancing, discovering and connecting through contemporary art and innovative cultural events.

For a unique outdoor art gallery, head to the Old Capitol Arts Fair, held for two days each summer in downtown Springfield. Artists and shoppers from across the country convene at the fair, which provides opportunities to purchase original art in a wide variety of mediums and invests in next-generation artists through local art contests and scholarship awards.

Rich Architecture

There is a growing focus on the celebration of and preservation of historic buildings in Springfield and Sangamon Counties.

Hundreds of buildings in Central Illinois have special significance, and many are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In Springfield especially, you can find rich architectural beauty that will leave you in awe.

The Dana-Thomas House is a 12,000-square-foot building with 35 rooms, including a two-story living room. Designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1902, the home has 450 art glass windows, barrel-vaulted ceilings in the gallery and dining room, exquisite mural, and an indoor terracotta fountain near the entrance. There are also more than 100 pieces of furniture designed by Wright in the home.

The Dana-Thomas house is the best preserved and most complete of Wright’s “prairie-style” homes.

With a 405-foot dome, the Illinois State Capitol is taller than the United States Capitol. The building is an Italian Renaissance Revival/Second Empire style that features an inner dome with stained glass and plaster friezes depicting significant historical events in the U.S. and Illinois.

Edwards Place offers visitors a glimpse into the lifestyle of Springfield’s wealthy during the Victorian era as they tour the Italianate mansion famous for hosting the courting couple Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd.

Upon entering the doors of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, you’ll find a Roman Catholic Church with classic Italian architecture. The interior is said to be modeled after Pope Francis’ favorite church in Rome: the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

The Cathedral features enormous coffered ceilings and ionic columns, a marble altar, 16 stained glass windows with illustrations and a tabernacle made of rare pink and black marble that sits on the high altar of the church’s back wall.

Built in 1888, the Christ Episcopal Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 because of its rare Richardson Romanesque architectural style. The Church is now known locally for its unique rough mason block exterior, arched entryway and bell tower, a feature typical of Early English Gothic architecture.

From touring the area’s unique architectural styles to taking in a musical at the Muni, there’s so much to see and do in Springfield when it comes to arts and culture that your only struggle will be deciding how to spend your free time.

And more!